Theos-Talk Archives (February 1997 Message tl00323)

At 06:53 AM 2/12/97 -0500, you wrote:
>At the Theosophical History Conference in 1992, Gregory Tillett
>presented a paper on esoteric groups in Theosophy, and devoted
>particular attention to the Seven Virgins of Java.  A couple of
>weeks after the conference, its organizer got a blistering
>letter from John Algeo, expressing extreme dislike of Tillett's
>paper and some others.  Also complaining that Grace Knoche got
>too much attention (this for an event held at Point Loma!)  The
>clincher was that his language conveyed an implicit threat to
>prevent any TSA support or involvement in Theosophical History
>Foundation events in the future, unless assurances were given
>that obnoxious papers like Tillett's wouldn't ever again be
>presented.
>
>My source for this, among others, is Tillett, who showed me the
>letter involved and wrote his own response.
>
>Just goes to show that the effort to exclude history they don't
>like from consideration by the membership is an ever-recurring
>feature of this organization with the motto "No religion higher
>than truth."
>
>It felt *so* good to throw the membership renewal form in the
>garbage this week.
>

Let me add a few further comments.

For those of you who are newbees, Gregory Tillett is the author of a
Biography of C W Leadbeater titled "The Elder Brother" published by
Routledge & Kegan Paul in 1982. ISBN 0-7100-0926-7.

It appears to be a very well researched and documented book. Has anyone seen
any reviews or responses questioning or pointing out in accuracies in the
book? At least I have not. If anyone has any info, please post.

CWL is one of the most prolific writers and his writings have helped many.
But many members of TS seem to lionize him forgetting after all he is human
and had serious defects. Until Tillett published the book, of course very
little was known of some of these serious defects/problems. So many do not
like the book, not because of any inaccuracies, but because it appears that
they do not want any of the secret problems of their idol to be known to the
world.

If anyone has anything to say about Tilletts book, let him/her post a msg.

MKR


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